Paul Maynard MP on Comment: "HS2 is a mark of our commitment to being a national party. Of course we cannot write a blank cheque, of course we should not tolerate ever escalating costs, but HS2 is about our vision for the future of this country, and just occasionally, it is right to be ambitious."Turn your back on HS2 and you turn your back on the North of England

“Britain cannot stand idly by in the face of the
morally indefensible use of chemical weapons, David Cameron said yesterday, as
he laid out the case for a missile strike against Syria. The White House is
preparing intelligence material, including intercepted communications, which it
says will prove that the Assad regime was responsible for last Wednesday’s
attack. Mr Cameron spoke to President Obama again last night, but the
publication of evidence by Washington may not come in time to help him to win
parliamentary approval tomorrow for Britain’s participation” – The
Times (£)

“Brits are against missile strikes on Syria by a
big majority of two to one, the first poll on the new crisis has found. An
exclusive YouGov survey for the Sun has revealed there is still strong opposition
to all types of UK involvement in the bitter two year long civil war despite
last week's chemical weapons atrocity. A total of 50 per cent oppose attacking Assad's forces
with long range missiles from ships – which is the Western allies' current
plan. And just 25 per cent are in favour of it” – Sun
(£)

Syria 3) The case for intervention: Democracies must live up
to their values

“This actual, repeated use of chemical weapons in Syria is a
moral outrage, a serious violation of international humanitarian law and a
challenge to our common security…This is a moment of grave danger for the
people of Syria, a moment of truth for democratic nations to live up to their
values, and a weighty test of the international community” – William Hague, Daily
Telegraph

“Councils will be forced to allow the building of
new houses under an affordable homes revolution from today. New
planning guidelines will impose a duty on town halls to keep close tabs on
local house prices and rents. If they soar too high, they must then act to ease
demand — by allowing the construction of new homes ordinary people can afford.
Last night planning minister Nick Boles told the Sun ahead of today’s shake-up: ‘Just as there is a legal obligation
for authorities to provide school places and health care to everyone who needs
it, so too they must now provide affordable homes’” – Sun
(£)

Cyberbullies need to learn respect, says Michael
Gove

“Eradicating cyberbullying is as much a question
of mending ‘what’s in people’s hearts’ as forcing internet site owners to do
more to protect children, Michael Gove said yesterday. Calling for children to
be taught respect for other human beings, the Education Secretary said that
teachers were not doing enough to stop the ‘viciousness and personal cruelty’
shown by online bullies on websites such as Ask.fm. His remarks come after the
death of Hannah Smith, 14, who had received a series of messages on the website
telling her to ‘drink bleach’ and ‘go die’”– The
Times (£)

Thousands dying of thirst on NHS

“Tens of
thousands of patients are dying needlessly in hospital every year from kidney
failure linked to dehydration, NHS officials have revealed. They calculate
that up to 42,000 deaths a year would be avoided if staff ensured patients had
enough to drink and carried out simple tests. NICE, the NHS
watchdog, is today issuing guidelines to staff to help them prevent deaths from
the condition – known as acute kidney injury – which is common in the
elderly and patients with heart disease, diabetes and blood infections” –Daily
Mail

Jamie Oliver calls British youngsters “wet”

“The celebrity chef said British youngsters were ‘wet’ in
comparison to their European counterparts, who were ‘stronger’ and
‘tougher’…Oliver, who has more than 30 UK branches of Jamie's Italian, as
well as three branches of Fifteen, where young unemployed people are taken on
as apprentices, said: ‘If we didn’t have any [European immigrants], all of my
restaurants would close tomorrow. There wouldn’t be any Brits to replace them’”
– Daily
Telegraph

Drivers who kill cyclists face tougher penalties

“Motorists who kill cyclists and pedestrians face tougher penalties under a crackdown on dangerous driving…A sentencing review will be launched early next year, the Department for Transport says today in its response to the Get Britain Cycling inquiry. The announcement follows a cross-party parliamentary report urging ministers to ensure that drivers who kill or maim are taken seriously by police, prosecutors and judges” – The Times (£)

Michael Moore: Salmond is stretching the meaning of words in desperation

"The Scottish Secretary will tell an audience in Glasgow that the First Minister is stretching words beyond their proper meanings in order to sell an unpopular policy. He is due to say: “Having looked at the numbers, the SNP leadership has come to fear that independence is a product that too few Scots are willing to buy. So to sell the goods, they are changing the packaging." – The Times (£)

“This cull is actually the most civilised, humane
and safe way of looking after both our cows and badgers. Since the Protection
of Badgers Act 1992 was introduced — preventing the disruption of setts or
killing of these mammals — the badger population has spiralled out of control
with 300,000 now rootling around the hills and dales. Many have become
disease-ridden” – Alice Thomson, The
Times (£)

"Building HS2 would be like putting the Olympics or the Millennium Dome in London – again. It would be another way of reinforcing London’s pre-eminence. Simply running another railway line, however expensive, and however far into the distant future, between what has been described as the North Province and South Province of the UK is not going to equalise them: it is more likely to suck more life out of the North." – John Rentoul, The Independent

"Foreigners from Commonwealth countries could swing the 2015 General Election — despite not being British citizens, a report claims today. The latest Census data from 2011 shows there are an estimated 960,000 Commonwealth citizens — with no British citizenship — aged over 15 living in England and Wales. They will be entitled to vote in the next election. And the figure could rise above one million people by election time, according to Migration Watch UK." – The Sun (£)

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